Ch84 To New Friends

“I can’t believe you actually got me cooking,” Donny said, as he put foil wrap on a small baking dish. “You really are a great new friend, Wendy, and the best teacher.  I might be able to do this on my own thanks to you…I hope.”

“You will. It’s all written down and it’s super easy and if you have any questions, I’m only a phone call away,” she said as she placed two other baking dishes, labeled and covered in foil, into the freezer.

“But what am I going to do with all this food?”

“Eat it with your kids, you goof. Have family meals like you used to,” Wendy replied, as she labeled another baking dish and placed it in the fridge. “Now you have several nights’ worth of meals. You just have to pop them in the microwave, make a salad, warm up some crusty bread and there ya go!”

Just on cue the oven timer went “Ding”.

 

“Oh, the bread is done,” she said, donning oven mitts and pulling out of the oven a baking sheet laden with three loaves of braided bread. “Mmm, that smells good.”

“I’ll say. You don’t expect me to make my own bread do you?” he asked.

“No, bread making is a bit too advanced for a beginner, but I know how much Wes likes fresh bread so I had to make some for him. I also made few extra dough portions that you can just plop into a loaf pan and bake when you want fresh baked bread. There’s instruction on them, too.”

“Man, you think of everything. Wes was right. You’re totally awesome,” Donny said.

“I am, aren’t I? It’s about time someone other than me figured it out!”

Donny laughed. “All this cooking’s got me hungry, though. How about we have some now?”

“Well, I was kinda hoping you’d say that,” she replied, taking yet another baking dish out of the oven. “I’m dying to try Margarita’s fiesta. It looks super yummy!”

Wendy dished out everything, the rice, the refried beans, the enchiladas plus the jicama salad while Donny took out wine glasses and opened a bottle of red wine.

“Wine? Isn’t that rather decadent for the middle of the week in the middle of the day?” Wendy asked.

“Well, for the third day in a row you got me mostly out of work, you made a reluctant cook out of me and now I’m far more relaxed and happier than I’ve been in years, so…yes. I say that’s cause for celebration. Don’t worry. I won’t let you get drunk. Only one glass each.”

She laughed and raised her glass to be filled. “Even if I beg pretty-please?”

“Yes, one of us has to be the responsible one,” he replied, sitting beside her and he lifted his own glass in a toast. “To new friends, wonderfully helpful friends, friends who give you what you truly need instead of what you think you need.” 

Wendy’s eyes widened in surprise. “Is that what I did?” she said as her glass gently clinked with his.

“Yep, and I thank you profoundly.”

“Well, then, to new friends,” she said, taking a sip.

“Now let’s see how good we are at this cooking thing,” he said, setting down his glass and taking his first bite. 

Wendy watched him with her bottom lip clasped between her teeth. If she wasn’t mistaken by the expression on his face, Donny liked it, and not just a little bit. 

He closed his eyes and smiled. “Hmm, Maggie, this is great,” he whispered. Then his eyes popped open and he stared at Wendy. “I mean…Wendy. Sorry. It’s just so good.”

She smiled. “It’s okay, Donny. I was hoping it would be good enough to…you know…be close to Margarita’s.”

“Not just close. It’s great, but it makes me miss her more somehow. I thought it would do the opposite,” he said shaking his head slowly. “Wonder if I’ll ever get over it.”

“I…I wouldn’t know,” she said, picking up her fork and taking a tiny bite. “If it was me, it would take me forever, but my dad… he didn’t seem to blink after my mother died and he was out on the prowl. Before we knew it he was dating a new woman every couple of weeks. He really loved my mother, too, although, I had my doubts after all those women.”

“Maybe they married young and he didn’t get to sow any wild oats.”

“Huh, never thought of that,” she said thoughtfully, images of Jeffery and herself as teens in love and newly married flashing before her mind’s eyes. “I guess everyone’s different.”

“Wes wants me to start dating. Can you imagine? He’s been trying to set me up for the longest time now,” Donny shook his head again. “He’s not the only one though. My sister-in-law is always trying to set me up on a blind date, to meet one of her lovely friends.”

“Why don’t you let them?” she asked.

He sighed. “You think I should?”

“It would get you out of your funk, Donny. You really ought to consider it. It may be time.”

“Hmm,” he said, watching her eat and wondering if she didn’t see this as a perfect date. He certainly did, the third one, in fact. They got along so well. He was truly starting to like this woman, like her very much. Couldn’t she tell? Of course, he kept forgetting she was still married. That did put a damper on things.

“What’s wrong?” she said, once she found him staring at her.

He shook his head. “Nothing,” he said, smiling. “Absolutely nothing at all. This is perfect, Wendy. Thank you.”

She smiled. “Welcome,” she said.

“I forgot to tell you,” Donny said, picking up his glass and taking a sip. “I found a nice apartment.”

Wendy looked at him oddly. “You’re moving out of this house?”

He laughed. “I mean for your sister. Did you tell her about the store front yet?”

“Oh, goodness! No, I haven’t. I’ve been getting home too late these past few days to call her. I don’t want to call too late because of Tristan. I’ll do it tonight. So, you have an apartment to show me?”

“I do,” he said. “I know I’ve taken all your time lately, yesterday, the day before and almost the entire day today, too, but I have time this afternoon to show it to you and then you can tell your sister about both the store and the apartment. Thought it might increase the chances of her making the decision to actually drop everything and come back home.”

“It’s a great plan. If you really don’t mind, Donny, I’d love to go see it now… after we clean up,” Wendy said eagerly, taking both their empty plates to the sink.

“I should be shot or something,” he said, putting a cork in the wine and storing it away.

“Why do you say that?” Wendy asked, shocked.

“Making a chef cook on her day off should be illegal or something.”

She giggled. “But I got a nice glass of wine out of it and a great bunch of new recipes. Margarita won’t haunt me if I steal her Mexican fiesta recipes, will she?”

“I think she’ll be okay with it,” Donny said.

“Good!” Wendy said. “I’d hate for her to hate me, especially when I know I would have liked her so much.”

“How could anyone hate you, Wendy?”

“You’d be surprised,” she said, thinking of her nemesis and Jeffery in her conniving arms. 

She pushed that thought away. To new friends, Donny had said. She would have to remember that and forget about old ones. It hurt too much to think of those.